Rotating heating device for tubulating glass bulbs.



, PATENTED JAN. 29, 1903.

R. B. FLATHER.

SS BULBS.

ROTATING HEATING DEVICE FOR TUBULATING. GLA

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21 1906.

UNITED strirrns PATENT (inn-Ion.

ROBERT BRUCE FLATHER, or OAKLAND, oiniironnni, ASSIGNOR TO BRYAN-MARSHCOMPANY, on NEW YORK, AconPoRATroN OF NEW YORK.

ROTATING HEATING DEVICE FOR TUBULATING GLASS BULBSQ I no. 842,191.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT BRUCE FLA- THEE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Qakland, in the county of Alameda and rovide meanswhereby heat may be. applied uniformly to the tube at the lowerextremity and in the zone where the attenuation is pro-- duced after thetube has been-joined to the bulb. The same end has been attained here--tofore bythe' operator directing heatingflames upon the tube by meansof a handburner, which was manipulated about the tube in such positionsas to apply the flames as nearly as possible to all sides alike. Such amethod, however, has not been found to be satisfactory, since it isimpossible to always focus the heating-flame by hand directly upon theproper spot when the burner is subject to constant movement, and,further, the movement of the burner about the tube for the purpose ofapplying the heat to all sides is not easily ei'l'ected without one sidecooling while the other side is being heated. This is not 'onlyundesirable for the purpose of forminga satisfactory joint when the tubeis applied to the bulb, but, as is well known to those skilled in theart, an'uneven heat at the zone of. attenuation always results. in thetube caving upon the softest side as it is being drawn out.. For theurpose of remedying these defects I have evised a mechanically-open atedmeans by which the heat may be applied uniformly to a tube as desiredand applied to all sides alike without pcrinil'tii'ig thereof tobecome-cool.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate one form of my invention,Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the rotatablcdevice for applying the flames. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same,partly broken Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 21) 1906. Serial No. 312,944.

of air and to the grooves.

any portion Patented Jan. 2 9, 1907.,

- away to show the supporting-plate, through which the air and gasconnections to the rotatable flame-plate are made. Fig. 3 is a' bottomplan view of the rotating flame-plate.

The supporting or bed plate A for the device is carried by a standard Aor by any other suitable means and has in the form shown a flat machinedupper surface. Mounted upon this-upper surface is the flameplate B,which is channeled on its under face withJcontinuous concentric groovesB- B.

,These grooves are positioned to ride over two ,ports A A in thesupporting-plate, which are connected with air and gas supplies, whichthus maintain a constant su ply Carried by the upper face of theflame-plate are blowpipes B and gas-burners B, the burners connectedwith the inner orgas groove B and the blowpipes connected with the outerorair groove B before mentioned. On the outer periphery of saidflame-plate are rackteeth B engaged by a pinion C,-mounted on a shortshaft C, which is rotated by a ower-wheel C orother device in anypreferred manner. In order to secure a tight contact during rotation,the fiameate A is held against thebed plate B by means of bolts- Dsecured thereto and passing through a rotatin l'ring against the underface of the bed-plate, 'as shown in Figv 1, and I preferto insertsprings D between thehead of the bolts D'and the said ring D in orderthat the proper frictional pressure. may be secured without causinthemechanism to bind. The burners' and blowpipes are so arranged as todirect the flames inwardly and concentrate them about the axis of theirplane of rotation. L. i

Mounted upon a standard E adjacent to the revolving flame-plate is anadjustable .res-t E in the form of a horseshoe, against the lower faceof which the upper side of a bulb is held during the tubulatingoperation.

This rest may be hollow and provided upon its upper-face withsmallopenings in order thatair connection may be established to D, whichbearsapply small cooling-jets about the tubulating zone, if desired.Also carried by the standard E is a sliding sleeve F, supportin a pairof pivoted spring-pressed interlocke jaws F, by which the tube is held,The

sleeve is capable, of vertical reciprocation through means of thehand-lever F fulerumed on a fixed supporting-bracket F By the abovearrangement it will be evident that the flame-plate can be kept in astate of constant rotation, the rate of speed of rotation being quiteunder the control of the operator, who has only to adjust the drivingmechanism to conform with the requirements of the case. Thus when theflames are once properly directed and adjusted so they focus upon a tubeheld in the clamping-jaws there will be no variation between the amountof heat applied to one side and that applied to another and the tubewill be continuously and constantly heated on all sides without anydanger of becoming cool through reason of the burner being applied toone side only, as in the former hand-operated devices.

The tube can be lowered into the focal I point of the flames andmanipulated up and down by means of the hand-lever until it is thorouhly heated about the end. Upon the bu b being then placed in the restthe tube may be lowered until its fused end attaches itself to the apexof the bulb. Thereupon the operator elevates the clamp somewhat, drawingout an attenuating tube at the portion where it has been softened,reducing the interior diameter to a degree suitable for the subsequentexhaustion of the bulb and formation of the tip. The bulb may nowbewithdrawn downward, carrying the tube with it until the latter slipsout of the clamp-jaws, and the operation maybe again begun with anothertube and bulb.

Havingthus described my invention, I claim 1. Mechanism for securing aneven appli- 4o cation of heat to tubes, comprisin means for maintainingatube in'a given axial alinement and means for rotating a burner,concentrically thereabout,

2. Means for seeming an even application of heat'to' tubes, comprisingmeans for holding a tubeinagiven axial alinement, a sup: port carrying aplurality-of burners and connections whereby it may be mechanicallyrotated, and means for maintaining a con' stant supply of gas to saidburner during rotation.

3. In combination a bed-plate, a flameplate mounted therea ainst, agas-ductbetween the faces of sai plate, a burner carried by theflame-plate and connected with the gas-duct, means for rotating theflameplate so'that the burners shall move in a circle about a iven axis,and means for holding a tube in a inement with said axis.

4. In combination, means for holding a tube in-a iven axial alinement, abed-plate,v

